2009 The Year in Review

Well we made it through 2009...most of us anyway. The new year has always been a time for reflection and renewal for me. I have been walking around at work all day mulling over in my head what this year has been, where I have been, and where I am going. I thought I might share some of this with you my faithful blog readers.

This year has been a good one overall for me. My biggest accomplishment has been getting through my first year of school and starting my second one..with flying colors I might add. I have mostly A's (a few B's thrown in for good measure) and have managed to maintain a 3.8 GPA. It has been an awesome experience, going back to school. My sister Debra laughs to hear me say that because when we were growing up I hated school so much. She is amazed to hear me say that, not only do I love it, but that I want to continue on to get a masters and a PhD. I guess I figure "what the heck? I am not doing anything anyway". This year has been extremely busy for me and I have now come to enjoy my busyness...it makes the times when I can relax that much more enjoyable. I also know that someday it will be over and I will be a better person for having gone through it.

I had one rough spot with the pets and that was the loss of Violet in October. It was very sad and my house is very quiet now. I did however gain a new one in April and that was Stan Lee. He continues to be a joy and I am so glad I decided to keep him. He makes me laugh on a daily basis with his silly antics. Lily turned 11 in December and I gave a silent thank you for her making it to her 11th birthday. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and wasn't supposed to make it 6 months let alone another year. She remains cancer free and is still running the pack and keeping up with the pups! Suki will turn 10 in February and she continues to be the healthiest dog I own. Her allergies get to her sometimes but generally she does well.

Enough about me and the animal kingdom...lets talk about some exciting things that happened in the world. The biggest news I can think of was the election of the first black man as president of the United States. My heart swelled with pride as I watched Barack Obama give his acceptance speech on Jan 20th and I had tears rolling down my face on and off as I watched him walk to the capital building for his inauguration. I can't help but be optimistic that things will change in this nation and that the new generation of people will be more tolerant than the last and that future generations will be even better. I hope I will be here to see a more peaceful nation and indeed a more tolerant world someday.

Things I learned this year include; not everyone is who they seem to be, most humans are pretty disappointing, keep your friends close and your enemies even closer, no one is perfect but perhaps there is someone perfect for you, ex boyfriends never completely disappear, and you don't need anything as badly as you think you do.

Things that continue to delight me (maybe some new ones too); the smell of clean dog feet, the air after a summer rain, a cold glass of Guiness, the laughter of children, my dogs faces when they are happy, trying a new bottle of wine, hot showers (even better when the window can be open), clean towels, flannel sheets, warm socks, a comfy couch, a great novel, my cats fur on my bare feet, a pile of clean laundry, sunny hot days, dog laughter, making new friends, learning new things, getting A's, writing something great in my blog, taking great photos, the way old things smell, snuggly blankets, hot coffee, iced coffee, diversity, great music and my all time favorite these days is a good nights sleep.

The new year is also a time to make some resolutions. I often start out with many and am pretty happy if I manage to still keep some of them at the end of the year. You see, if you make a whole bunch, then you are not destined to fail completely. Some of mine this year include; making my bed every day, not letting being busy serve as an excuse for a dirty house, actually trying to keep the house cleaner, flossing my teeth everyday instead of every other day and the old standby, trying to eat healthier and take better care of myself. We will see how well I do on these and I will get back to you later on how it goes.

I hope all of you have a great year!